(Silvio), a man of great learning, who raised himself from a low condition by his merit, was born at Rome in the year 1540. When he was but ten years old, he could make verses upon any subject proposed to him; and these so excellent, though pronounced extempore, that even a man of genius could not compose the like without a good deal of time and pains. The duke de Ferrara coming to Rome, to congratulate Marcellus II. upon his being raised to the pontificate, was so charmed with the genius of Antoniano, that he carried him to Ferrara, where he provided able masters to instruct him in all the sciences. From thence he was sent for by Pius IV. who made him professor of the belles lettres in the college at Rome. Antoniano filled this place with so much reputation, that, on the day when he began to explain the oration pro Marco Marcellio, he had a vast crowd of auditors, and among these no less than 25 cardinals. He was afterwards chosen rector of the college; and after the death of Pius IV. being seized with a spirit of devotion, he joined himself to Philip Neri, and accepted the office of secretary to Antonides, the sacred college, offered him by Pius V., which he executed for 25 years with the reputation of an honest and able man. He refused a bishopric which Gregory XIV. would have given him; but he accepted the office of secretary to the briefs, offered him by Clement VIII., who made him his chamberlain, and afterwards a cardinal. Antoniano killed himself by too great fatigue: for he spent whole nights in writing letters; which brought on a sickness, whereof he died, in the 63rd year of his age. He wrote with such ease and fluency, that he never almost made any blot or rasure; and it is said of him, that he preserved the flower of his virginity during his whole life.

ATONIDES Vander Goes (John), an eminent Dutch poet, born at Goes, in Zealand, the 3rd of April, 1647. His parents were Anabaptists, people of good character, but of low circumstances. They went to live at Amsterdam when Antonides was about four years old; and, in the ninth year of his age, he began his studies, under the direction of Hadrian Junius and James Cocceius. Antonides took great pleasure in reading the Latin poets, and carefully compared them with Grotius, Heinsius, &c. By this means he acquired a taste for poetry, and enriched his mind with noble ideas. He first attempted to translate some pieces of Ovid, Horace, and other ancients; and, having formed his taste on these excellent models, he at length undertook one of the most difficult tasks in poetry, to write a tragedy: this was intitled Trazil, or The Invasion of China. Antonides, however, was so modest, as not to permit it to be published. Vondel, who was then engaged in a dramatic piece, which was taken also from some event that happened in China, read Antonides' tragedy; and was so well pleased with it, that he declared, if the author would not print it, he would take some passages out of it, and make use of them in his own tragedy. He accordingly did so; and it was reckoned much to the honour of Antonides, to have written what might be adopted by so great a poet, as Vondel was acknowledged to be by all good judges. Upon the conclusion of the peace between Great Britain and Holland, in the year 1667, Antonides wrote a piece, intitled Bellona aan band; i.e., "Bellona chained;" a very elegant poem, consisting of several hundred verses. He next wrote an ingenious heroic poem, which he intitled The River Y (the river on which Amsterdam is built).

Antonides's parents had bred him up an apothecary; but his remarkable genius for poetry soon gained him the esteem and friendship of several persons of distinction; and particularly of Mr Buitero, one of the lords of the admiralty at Amsterdam, and a great lover of poetry, who sent him at his expense to pursue his studies at Leyden, where he remained till he took his degree of doctor of physic, and then his patron gave him a place in the admiralty. In 1678, Antonides married Sefanna Bermans, a minister's daughter, who had also a talent for poetry. His marriage was celebrated by several eminent poets, particularly by the famous Peter Francius, professor of eloquence, who composed some Latin verses on the occasion. After marriage, he did not much indulge his poetic genius; and within a few years he fell into a consumption, of which he died on the 18th September, 1684, being then but thirty-seven years and a few months old. He is esteemed the most eminent Dutch poet, after Vondel. His works have been printed several times, having been collected by his father Anthony Tanfz. The last edition was printed by Nicholas Ten Hoom, at Amsterdam, in the year 1714, in quarto, under the direction of David Van Hoogstraten, one of the masters of the Latin school of that city, who added to it also the life of the poet.

ANTONINUS PIUS, the Roman emperor, was born at Lanuvium, in Italy, A.C. 86, of a family originally from Nîmes in Languedoc. His character was in all respects one of the noblest that can be imagined; and he had the title of Pius given him by the senate. We have no regular account of the transactions of his reign, since Capitolinus has written in a very confused manner; and we have only an abridgment of Dion Cassius's history by Xiphilin now remaining. He managed the public revenues with great frugality, yet was extremely generous; was fond of peace, and in war preferred the reputation of justice to all the advantages which might be gained by victory. He was more intent upon preserving the bounds of his empire, than extending them; and he often made use of Scipio's expression, That he chose rather to save one citizen than kill a thousand enemies. By this conduct he made himself universally esteemed and revered in that age, and admired by posterity. This great and good emperor died in 161, aged 75 years, having reigned 23.